A Mother of Two Children and a Busy Corporate Lawyer

My mornings are hectic until I drop my children off at nursery school and elementary school. Then, I finally get a moment's rest, but it's only a short one. Upon returning home, I am faced with another busy day of corporate legal work, with duties such as reviewing contracts, considering legal risks, and training team members. In the evening, I shift back into the role of mother. Every day, I'm busy with housework and childcare, spending time with my children.

Finding the best way to balance these two roles remains a constant challenge.

The duties of corporate law go beyond application and interpretation based on provisions and precedents. We must also guide clients to the most desirable options based on the company's strategic objectives, while also being mindful of the interests of customers, business partners, employees, and the future of the business.

For example, during contract negotiations, a business partner may strongly request the removal of certain clauses. Accepting all such requests increases the risk to my client company, but refusing them could lead to a breakdown in negotiations and the business itself grinding to a halt. In such situations, it is essential to calmly search for the optimal compromise by discerning "points that must be protected" and the "points for which compromise is acceptable."

Furthermore, when launching a new business, there is often a lack of precedent. It is unclear where the risks lie and how severe they are. From the perspective of legal compliance, it is easy to say "let's avoid this new business due to the associated risks." However, such a passive stance will not move business forward. An important role of legal affairs is to correctly assess risks, and then to present measures for avoiding risks and alternative solutions. Such in-depth assessment will enable us to pursue new business opportunities. This is another case that tests the ability to determine the balance of accepting risk.

The thought process which I developed at Chuo Law School supports me in these situations. Specifically, I learned to first organize the legal basis and then to compare different positions and values to find the most reasonable compromise. I now put this training to good use in my work in corporate law. Indeed, even more than the knowledge I acquired, it is the "mindset of how to think and reach a conclusion while maintaining balance" that is an invaluable asset in my work.

Recently, I strongly feel that there are similarities between managing corporate legal affairs and raising children.

When developing team members, instead of merely teaching them the answers, I must also foster their ability to think and make decisions for themselves. Sometimes I need to ask tough questions and support team members, but ultimately I need to trust the individual to get things done. This attitude of encouraging growth is the same when raising children. I believe that a parent's role is to create an environment where children can think for themselves, make decisions, and learn from their mistakes.

Of course, neither legal affairs nor childrearing is easy issues to resolve. Nearly every day, I encounter obstacles and feel overwhelmed. I constantly contemplate and search for ways to overcome my difficulties, and work diligently to make improvements.

Once I recognized these commonalities, I stopped separating work and childcare; rather, I began to see them as opportunities for mutual learning. The insights that I gain from interacting with my children inform the way I should interact with my team members. Conversely, my experiences at work enrich my life at home. Sometimes, I am brought to tears by the challenges of fulfilling two roles. Nevertheless, I feel that the resulting synergies are steadily contributing to my personal growth.

Corporate legal affairs protect a company from the outside risk and supports it from the inside. A single contract or decision can affect the direction of the entire company. The opinions of the legal department are sometimes adopted without modification, so the responsibility of working on the front lines is heavy. Still, it is rewarding for the very reason.

While taking on unprecedented challenges, I realized that the work of "creating something from nothing" is extremely rewarding. My most memorable experience was working on the introduction of electronic contracts. Initially, all contracts were signed on paper, with the originals stored and managed by the legal department. This lagged far behind the modern technology of digital contracts. In response, I considered the best way to implement electronic contracts, as well as the management and storage of contracts across our company. I then devised the best way to introduce electronic contracts at our company. By following this process, our company was able to officially introduce electronic contracts. Today, our business operations are conducted at a completely different level compared to just a few years ago.

"Paving a path from nothing and carving out a road to the future."--This is one of the reasons why I am attracted to working in law.

Of course, not all days go smoothly. I sometimes find myself scrambling to deal with unexpected problems, which can leave my children feeling lonely. The balance between work and family is constantly fluctuating, and there are many days when things stray from my plan.

Even so, I am able to continue balancing work and family thanks to the understanding and support of those around me. My team members support my work, my family cooperates, and above all, my children are growing up healthily. All of these provide me with tremendous motivation to keep moving forward.

As a mother of two children and a member of the corporate legal department, mutual support enables me to balance both roles, rather than sacrificing one at the expense of the other.

I hope to grow along with my children while continuing to work in the legal field, and I look forward to embracing new challenges.